Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/354800
to the in-room entertainment system. Cat 6 also allowed for a more robust and future-proof infrastructure. Each hotel room features IP phones, Samsung Smart TV and Samsung Galaxy 3 tablets. In addition, rooms feature a energy management system to allow for changes to the temperature when the room is unoccupied. Colwin Electrical Group was part of the design team and had a hand in designing all power and lighting sys- tems for the Hotel BLU tower. Lonny Willms from Colwin says that the big- gest challenge was keeping up with all the design changes throughout the project. "The design continued right until the end of the project, with many items being added or changed through- out the construction process," explains Willms. Close co-ordination with all the consultants resulted in a project the team is proud to be a part of. There are extensive green roofs both on the third and fifth floor: one for hotel guests and one for the residents, who also benefit from five community garden plots and a children's play area and gathering space. "The landscaped roof decks are intended as an urban oasis away from the hustle of the streets below," explains Margot Long, principal at PWL Partnership Landscape Architects Inc. "The extensive roof areas cool the out- door environs and offer a green wildlife meadow complete with wildf lowers and native groundcover. Ornamental rock gardens extend the patio spaces in a number of the roof decks on the upper storeys." In addition to acting as a visual amenit y to building resident s and neighbours, the terraces also help pre- vent storm runoff from entering the municipal storm system. In fact, sustainability was key from the outset of this project – whether it was the fact that site contamination from its historic use by automotive maintenance businesses was removed as part of the excavation for parking, to the inclusion of locally-sourced mate- rial and high-efficiency heat pumps, heat redistribution and low f lush toi- lets/low output showers. "The blue glazing and stone-like pre- cast panels with the unique decorative details give it a signature look that says 'Hotel BLU' well before you can read its signs," says Jamal. "Hotel BLU will stand apart from the usual clear glass and grey concrete structures that have become the mainstay vocabulary of Van- couver, but I believe it will be seen as a good neighbour in terms of its response to its context. This is our first high-rise project as an architect and one that could not have been realized without the exemplary team of developer, sup- porting consultants and contractor all working together with the common goal of creating a building to be proud of." n LOCATION 177 Robson Street at Cambie, Vancouver, B.C. OWNER/DEVELOPER Mayfair Hotels and Resorts ARCHITECT Relative Form Architecture Studio GENERAL CONTRACTOR/ PROJECT MANAGER Jacob Bros. Construction Ltd. STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT Bogdonov Pao Associates Ltd. MECHANICAL CONSULTANT Rocky Point Engineering Ltd. ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT Colwin Electrical Group LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT PWL Partnership Landscape Architects Inc. TOTAL AREA 154,885 square feet TOTAL COST Undisclosed 86/ AUGUST 2014 Hotel BLU & Residences HTFC Planning